Using Brandwatch, a social media monitoring and analytics tool, we were able to find 394,000 mentions of #SochiProblems since Tuesday, February 4th.

Social media is transparent; we cannot control what anyone says. Ultimately people are going to express their feelings and opinions online — whether they’re about poor service at a restaurant or an entire city’s efforts to host one of the biggest events in the world. Whether the remarks are justified or not, they can still damage reputations.

How can you avoid this? My advice to the Sochi Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee also applies to all the sponsors of the Winter Games: it might be easier said than done, but do whatever is in your power to anticipate and solve potential problems before they go viral. Aim to provide the best possible experience, so that when someone does hop on Twitter, they only have good things to say about you.

When problems do surface, fix them and communicate speedily about your actions. Avoid a defensive posture and snarky remarks. Post Q&As on your website and ensure that your course of action and point-of-view are coherent and a key element of your dialogue with opinion makers (as was clearly not the case with official reports regarding the fate of the stray dogs of Sochi).

In reality, Russia’s #SochiProblems are extremely similar to those faced by any business facing reputation issues. Online problems can quickly spin out of control and a socially savvy communications pro could be your first line of defense.